Today there exist several devices for ejection of pay loads from aircrafts. The ejection of pay loads is employed by the aircraft's defence system for disturbing radar, infra-red, laser controlled incoming weapons etc. A pay load can be a so called chaff. Also other types of pyrophoric material is used as a pay load in this matter.
The ejected pay loads (being comprised in so called decoys or countermeasure means before their activation) will be orientated relatively the aircraft's flying direction in such manner that they are dispensed essentially perpendicular to said direction, wherein the largest surface of each decoy faces the air flow when leaving the aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,092 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,351 discloses known devices for ejection of chaffs. The document SE 517 872 also discloses devices for the dispensing of chaffs.
Today, civil aircrafts do not have a capability of defending themselves against outside threats. This is due to for example that there is no affordable and durable countermeasure technology available for commercial use. One of the most feared risks is the Manpad (Man-Portable Air Defence) threat of IR-guided missiles, especially near airports, where aircraft fly low above areas that are practically impossible to secure against portable short-range missiles.
There are countermeasure technologies available for military aircrafts, for example a pyrophoric IR decoy dispenser system. However a civil aircraft platform requires a large scale market and secure handling of the decoys. The pyrophoric material inside one type of decoy package is called CAD, Combustible Area Decoy, and it burns when subjected to oxygen. Thus, the package or envelope must be an oxygen barrier and is not allowed to break when accidentally dropped near combustible materials.
The object of the invention is to develop a cassette which safely protects and dispenses its accommodated pay load. One further object with the present invention is to provide an effective dispensing system for the package, in which the package is opened and dispensed in a reliable way.
It is desirable that the pay load rapidly leaves the cassette when dispensed from the vehicle.
The object of the present invention is to overcome prior art drawbacks and to develop known cassettes for accommodating pay loads, which promptly will separate from the cassette after they have left the air craft's dispensing outlet.